Laceration: I Erode (color) LP

After the scorching Demise album in 2021, the Bay Area’s Laceration have joined the ranks of 20 Buck Spin for the release of second album I Erode. Over the band’s lifetime, years of work and subtle refinement manifest now in Laceration’s most assured and viscious material to date.

Absolutely loaded with hallmarks of US death metal’s peak era, I Erode vehemently explodes outta the gate with merciless riffs, savage tempos, tastefully fleshripping solos and the malevolent undercurrents of aggressive death thrash perfection. Striking an ideal balance of technical and straightforward, high speed and mid-paced breaks, and a concise, to the point attack packed with variety, I Erode offers a purely addictive shot of real death metal adrenaline in a lineage that includes Demolition Hammer to Morgoth to Suffocation.

While perhaps invoking a sense of nostalgia, the fact is Laceration’s evolved confidence and commitment to a song’s unsparing execution erase any focus on era on the neck-breaking I Erode. The dedication to the death metal form’s timelessness and high standards for true acknowledgment mark Laceration’s output now more than ever.